Pinarayi Vijayan, John Brittas and K N Balagopal detained en route to Jantar Mantar

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas and party Central Committee member and former Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal have been detained by police while on their way to Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

The three leaders were detained in a police jeep and were being taken away as they headed to join students and young people protesting for electoral reforms.

The reported detentions come amid heightened security in the national capital ahead of the proposed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The detentions have drawn criticism from political leaders, with the protest framed by its supporters as a fight for a fair electoral system.